Dan Pitcher on Bengals' Offensive Line
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00:00 How would you assess the offensive line?
00:02 Sure, I listen.
00:03 I think that we have an experience group
00:06 that plays well together, who have meshed now.
00:10 Certainly the interior three, having two full seasons
00:14 together, adding Orlando last year.
00:17 Jonah's a free agent now.
00:20 Is there room to grow there?
00:21 Absolutely.
00:22 But you can say that about every single position group.
00:24 We love the makeup of those guys.
00:26 We love the character.
00:28 We love the toughness.
00:29 We love the want to.
00:31 And it's our job as coaches to put them in the best positions
00:36 so that we as an offense can have success.
00:38 And I feel really good about that.
00:40 I think Frank's done a great job assessing last year,
00:44 taking a look at what do we do in the run game moving forward.
00:47 We got the same thing on offense-- or on the pass game
00:49 now.
00:50 We got to decide maybe what are some things protection-wise
00:53 that we can do that give us more chances to create
00:55 those explosive plays.
00:57 But I think that the line as a whole played well.
01:00 Can we get better?
01:01 Absolutely.
01:02 And I know those guys are working hard right now
01:04 to do that.
01:04 What did you guys have really leaned
01:06 into the bigger, more powerful offensive linemen?
01:09 Is that-- when you assess things,
01:12 is that something that you still look at and say,
01:14 I still think that is where we're at our best?
01:17 Or do you reevaluate that and maybe we
01:19 should open ourselves up to more small and more athletic types?
01:22 I think when you have an elite quarterback, which we have,
01:25 first and foremost, you solidify the pocket.
01:28 And how do you solidify the pocket?
01:30 You solidify it with strong, tough interior three
01:34 that are smart, that can pass off games, that can pick up
01:37 pressure packages.
01:38 And we have that.
01:39 We've done that.
01:41 And so if that's step one, then you
01:44 decide what do those guys do well
01:46 in the other phases of the offense.
01:48 And I believe that that's the intelligent way
01:51 to go about constructing our roster based on the quarterback
01:54 that we have.
01:56 Does that mean that we can't squeeze more out
01:58 in certain areas?
01:59 No.
02:00 We're going to try to squeeze everything we can.
02:02 But I think you've got to be careful not to just think
02:06 that the grass is always greener.
02:08 Oh, we've got to get more athletic.
02:09 Well, you get more athletic, and then you give up
02:10 more push in the pocket.
02:12 Well, we've got to solidify the center of the pocket.
02:14 So now you get a little less athletic.
02:15 There's not a bunch of guys walking around
02:17 that are great at everything.
02:18 That's the reality that we're faced with.
02:20 That's why we're here.
02:21 We're trying to find those guys.
02:22 We're trying to get picked in the first round.
02:25 And hopefully we've got an opportunity
02:26 to add some of those guys.
02:27 But I feel good about how we've built that unit
02:31 and how we're going to be able to move forward with it.
02:33 How valuable-- go ahead.
02:34 What do you think when you come--
02:35 I don't know how much deep you've
02:36 looked at the tackles yet.
02:37 But when you have a class like this where it's like,
02:39 jeez, there's like eight of these massive dudes
02:41 that everybody wants, it's like, that's
02:43 got to be refreshing to know because there's been
02:45 a scarcity in the league.
02:46 Sure.
02:47 Sure, yeah.
02:48 I think I'm really now just diving into that.
02:52 And what I've seen so far is encouraging.
02:54 I think there's going to be at least a handful of guys
02:58 at that position that are going to be good pros.
03:00 I also know projecting success at that position-- first of all,
03:04 projecting success at any position.
03:06 If you have the formula, give it to me
03:07 because I could give this job up and make a ton of money.
03:13 But particularly that position, the physicality
03:16 that comes with that of lining up against--
03:19 you look at our division and the Cam Haverards of the world,
03:22 the Miles Garrets, the TJ Watts, they're not playing those guys.
03:27 Even in the SEC, they're not playing those guys.
03:30 So all that being said, is it a promising group?
03:33 I believe so.
03:34 And if we have an opportunity to have one of those guys,